*This carpet is hand-knotted. Differences in shape, thickness, pattern and sizes can occur.**Each carpet is of the highest quality in its category & is carefully handpicked overseas by a member of the Bashir family.

A Brief History of Semnan Carpets

Semnan is an Iranian city that has been historically known for its superbly crafted area rugs. This small city sits on the southern foothills of the Alborz Mountain range located in Semnan Province in northern Iran approximately 221 kilometres from Tehran. The production of textiles and carpets are the most important industries in the history of the city. Although in 2010 Semnan boasted over 50,000 inhabitants, production of area rugs is rather limited, creating a very high demand, particularly among collectors. All of the Semnan area rugs are very finely and densely woven by extremely skilled artisans. They use the famous asymmetrical Persian knot to produce this type of carpet. The distinguishing characteristics of Semnan area rugs are large geometric shapes that run in a linear pattern down the center of the rug. It is also common to see small and finely articulated designs, often in endless repeats on Semnan area rugs. The Shah Abbas design is popular in borders as well as in the field, and as a corner resolution. This design is based on a floral pattern and has been popular since time of the Safavid dynasty. Its abstract floral designs combined with Arabesque designs are frequently seen on Semnan area rugs. Antique Semnan area rugs typically feature main designs that have softer, rounder, floral patterns. There are almost two distinctive color palettes on Semnan area rugs. Those woven with Isfahan influence predominantly feature reds. The Semnan area rugs influenced by Mashad have a more subtle palette of reds, blues, yellows, greens, and ivory. All of the colors are created from the local vegetation. The foundations on Semnan area rugs are cotton while the pile is soft, glossy wool, all silk or a mixture of both. The base is usually made up of cotton, except in very fine parts which can be pure silk. Although Persian carpets produced in the major weaving cities of Iran are technically superior to those produced on the outskirts, these pieces from the smaller central cities of Iran are still among the best. Many carpets from this area have been known to last hundreds of years. Antique Semnan pieces are quite rare and very valuable. Most are hung as treasured works of art on the wall rather than used on the floor. Semnan area rugs purchased today are very durable and able to withstand even the heaviest traffic while maintaining their beauty and luster.

A Brief History of Tree of Life Carpets

The concept of a tree of life as a many-branched tree illustrating the idea that all life on earth is related has been used in science, religion, philosophy, mythology, and other fields including the art of carpet weaving for centuries. There has always been a great classical tradition of carpets depicting the Tree of Life. Since ancient times, this symbol in oriental carpets has represented the direct path from earth to heaven. It distinguishes itself from other carpet patterns in that it is based on one of the oldest and most universal of all religious and mythological symbols in human history. Reference to a “Tree of Life” as the connecting link between the human and heavenly worlds are found in ancient cultures spanning throughout Europe, Asia Minor and the Orient.

In fact, trees have always been important symbols in the religion of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The Tree of Life is a mystical symbol used in the Kabbalah of esoteric Judaism to describe the path to God and the manner in which he created the world out of nothing. Kabbalists believe it to be a diagrammatic representation of the process by which the Universe came into being. It symbolises that point beyond which our comprehension of the origins of being cannot go. Kabbalists do not envision time and space as pre-existing, and place them at the next three stages on the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life in the Book of Genesis is a tree planted by God in midst of the Garden of Eden, whose fruit gives everlasting life, i.e. immortality. Together with the Tree of Life, God planted the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9). In Islam, the Tree of Life symbolizes the bridge between Paradise, the world of men and the world below. It is usually used in conjunction with a garden, vase or prayer rug design. In Baha'i Faith, it can refer to the Manifestation of God, a great teacher who appears to humanity from age to age. The concept can be broken down still further, with the Manifestation as the roots and trunk of the tree and his followers as the branches and leaves. The fruit produced by the tree nourishes an ever-advancing civilization. A distinction has been made between the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The latter represents the physical world with its opposites, such as good and evil and light and dark. In a different context from the one above, the Tree of Life represents the spiritual realm, where this duality does not exist. This symbol is also found in the Norse saga of the ash tree Yggdrasil, where the tree provides a magical spring water of knowledge. There is a similar mythology in China, where a carving of a Tree of Life depicts a bird and a dragon- in Chinese mythology, the dragon often represents immortality.

Several workshop groups in Persia, Anatolia, India and Pakistan produce extremely intricate and naturalistic interpretations of the Tree of Life scheme. More stylized and geometric versions are found on a number of village and nomadic rugs from Persia, Anatolia and Afghanistan. It is also a popular field decoration on Belouch prayer rugs. Today, the traditional Tree of Life design can be found blended with traditional Persian carpets such as Isfahans, Kirmans (Kermans), Qums, Semnans and Veramins.